Scorching Lies
by ImagineClan United
Summary: Outsiders are rarely accepted into the Clans. But when one is, she unknowingly unlocks the path to revenge for a soul cast out from the Clans. Soon she finds herself caught in an impossible web of lies, struggling to free herself from the clutches of fate and reveal the treachery that threatens the Clan. Speckle will do all she can to protect her new Clan, but is it enough?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! **

**This is ImagineClan's first collaborative story, written as an entire forum!**

**For several weeks, members of ImagineClan have been working hard to create an awesome story. Members signed up to create the fanfic together. We created characters, a story plot, outlines for chapters, personalities, and much more.**

**Now we take turns writing chapters, but edit each other's work freely to make it better as we go. The story is collaborative, after all.**

**Now here is the result of many weeks of work. We will update as often as we write the chapters, which depends on our own random but amazingly friendly and loyal members. And they all encourage you to join ImagineClan, a truly awesome forum, where all the fun in FFN is centered. Yes, it's true. Join; you'll love it there.**

**Lastly, please review and let us know what you think! (And follow and favorite the story while you're at it. ;D)**

**Disclaimer: ImagineClan does not claim to own Warriors in any way, shape, or form. But we do own all our characters, plot, and the idea of collaborative fanfics as a forum. We will not be happy if you copy us, because everything here is pure original ImagineClan amazing idea-ness.**

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_Chapter 1 written by The Last Moongazer_

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**ImagineClan Allegiances:**

**Leader: **Moonstar: silvery-white she-cat with bright green eyes

**Deputy: **Silverfur: gray tom with blue eyes

**Medicine cat:** Mouseleap: small grey tabby she cat with green eyes and white paws

**Warriors:**

Thistlefur: A white and brown patched she-cat with blue eyes and messy, spiky fur.

Honeyshine: Golden she-cat with warm dark brown eyes.

_Apprentice_: Briarpaw

Bluestep: Gray-and-white tom with light blue eyes.

_Apprentice_: Maplepaw

Suntail: orange tom with golden tail and right ear. Has bright green eyes

Lilacfeather: Pale gray semi-longfurred she-cat with blue-green eyes, and a twisted right hind paw.

Hailfeather: White and black tom with dark blue eyes.

_Apprentice_: Redpaw

Frostwind: white she-cat with gray stripes and a striped tail and green eyes

Amberfoot: dark ginger she-cat with dazzling green eyes and a super fluffy tail

_Apprentice_: Featherpaw

Nightstep: Jet-black tom with green-yellow eyes

Birchpelt: pale brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Stoneclaw: mottled gray tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice_: Skypaw

Oakfrost: Muscular golden brown tabby tom with white underbelly and dark green eyes

Sandfire: pale golden she-cat with darker paws and amber eyes.

**Apprentices:**

Maplepaw: Dark brown tabby she-cat with several patches of lighter, golden tabby brown. One eye green and one eye blue.

Briarpaw: dark brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Redpaw: blue tom with blue eyes

Skypaw: Blue and white she-cat mix with blue eyes

Featherpaw: pale gray she-cat with black stripes, a fluffy tail and green eyes

**Queens and Kits:**

Snowbear: broad-shouldered white she-cat with blue eyes(mother of Adderfoot's kits; Fawnkit: white and brown she-kit, Yarrowkit: black and white cow-spotted tom with amber eyes, Ravenkit: black she-kit with green eyes)

Flintstrike: Black and white she cat with green eyes (mother of Nettlekit: spiky-furred white tom with yellow eyes, Yewkit: black tom with green eyes, Echokit: silver she-kit with ashy grey eyes)

Silversky: pretty blue-gray she-cat with green eyes (mother of Birchpelt's kits; Lilykit: white-and-pale-gray dappled she-kit with green eyes, Streamkit: blue-gray she-kit with bright amber eyes)

**Cats outside Clans:**

Speckle: cream she-cat with brown speckles and amber eyes; loner

Galadriel: golden long-furred she-cat loner with crystal blue eyes and a white tail-tip

Violet: cream she-cat with blue eyes and white patches, kittypet

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**Chapter 1:**

Golden light spread softly over the forest, spilling over the rocky slopes and illuminating the terrain as a lithe figure appeared from underneath a low bush.

It was a cat, a she-cat with thick cream-colored fur, padding absently towards the trees, her soft amber eyes eyes unfocused and dreamy as she remembered the times that she had spent with another loner that she met a moon ago.

_She lay on a rock, lazily sunning herself, enjoying the sensation of the warm sun on her thick brown-speckled fur. Her eyes were half-closed in pleasure. She was so absorbed in the beautiful day that she almost didn't notice the other loner approaching her._

_"Hello," he purred._

_The she-cat started up in fright, leaping to her paws and raising her hackles. "Who're you?" she demanded fiercely._

_The loner chuckled, completely at ease, amusement in his dark blue eyes. "They call me Flame," he meowed conversationally. "And you are..."_

_The she-cat relaxed a bit, though she was still ready to leap at the pale ginger tom if he caused trouble. "My name is Speckle."_

_"Nice name," he said, settling down on the rocks._

_Speckle allowed herself to relax. This loner wasn't going to hurt her. He was much too languid and relaxed. If he was going to leap at her, he would have kept himself tense and ready._

_With that assurance in her mind, she lay back down on her rock, amiably chatting with the stranger, her amber eyes warm and friendly again._

Speckle purred softly, remembering that day. From then, she and Flame had quickly become friends. He would come to visit her every few days, and stay for as long as he could. They would enjoy the company for as long as possible before Flame would leave for his den.

Then, there was the day that he told her about a Clan.

_"Have you ever heard of a Clan?" he asked one day, staring thoughtfully into a puddle._

_Speckle glanced at him, surprised. "No. What is it?"_

_He started to explain, telling her about a group of cats who lived in harmony together, caring for each other and protecting the entire group. She listened, enthralled, as he described their warrior code, how they took care of expecting queens and kits, of the old cats who could no longer hunt and fight._ _She watched him, fascinated, as he told her about their system of life, training young cats to defend the Clan. She listened until the day was almost gone, and Flame had to leave, going back to his den for the night._

_Speckle could hardly sleep that night, pondering about the concept of a Clan. What would it be like, she wondered, to live in a Clan?_

That day was what Speckle remembered as she wandered absently into the forest. She thought about the idea of the Clan even more. It was a nice idea, she decided, to have a place where the strong would care for those who had grown old or could not yet defend themselves.

Unfortunately for Speckle, she kept walking as she thought, straight across the scent markers near the edge of the forest.

A sudden rustle in the bushes made her stumble, mind pulled back to reality as she narrowly missed tripping over a root...and walked straight into another cat.

The cat gazed back at her, looking as startled as Speckle was. It was a small she-cat, seemingly very young, with kit-like fluffy gray-and-black tabby fur and big, scared-looking green eyes.

The cat took one more look at her, before yowling loudly, "Honeyshine! Frostwind! Lilacfeather! Stoneclaw!"

Four more cats appeared around Speckle, surrounding her.

"An intruder!" a mottled gray tom hissed.

"Calm down, Stoneclaw," a golden she-cat murmured. "Let's just decide what to do."

The tom bared his teeth. "You know what we do with intruders, Honeyshine. Drive them out!"

A pale gray she-cat rolled her eyes. "Stop being a mousebrain, Stoneclaw."

Speckle's head spun. Normally she would have registered the fact that the names seemed very strange, but at the moment she was too panicked to think about it. The only thought that occupied her mind was the thought that she needed to get out of there. Now.

So she turned tail and ran.

Behind her, she heard a loud yowl._ "She's getting away!"_

Speckle pushed herself to go faster, pounding through the trees. She could hear the sounds of the pursuing cats behind her, yowling at her to stop running and go with them.

_No way, _Speckle thought, increasing her pace.

The wind whipped at her ears, stinging her eyes, but she refused to falter, determinedly pushing on. She had to get out of the forest, out of their territory. She recalled with a flash the scent markers she had passed earlier while she was daydreaming. She had wandered right through them, not comprehending that she was entering some other cat's territory.

_I'm such a mousebrain._

Suddenly Speckle could see open area ahead. The trees were thinning, light streaming in through visible gaps, revealing the rockiness of the territory beyond the forest._ Almost there,_ Speckle thought desperately, straining to run a little faster. _Just a little farther._

But luck wasn't on her side. She was still many fox-lengths from the border when she saw a fast-moving stream in front of her.

Speckle skidded to a stop, breathing hard, fear-scent suddenly billowing around her like a cloud. She stared in fright at the tumbling, gushing water in front of her. Terror wrapped around her, until she felt like she could barely breathe. One more step and she would have fallen, right into the churning gray stream that could drag her down to the sharp, rocky bottom, force all the air out of her body but not let her come up again for more, hold her down until there was no hope for survival...

She remained frozen at the edge of the stream, paralyzed with fright, unable to move even though she knew in the back of her mind that the five enemy cats would catch up to her in a heartbeat.

A heavy weight suddenly landed on top of her, sending her sprawling to the ground and pinning her among the leaves.

The gray tom, Stoneclaw, leered down at her with his teeth bared. "Now we've got you," he snarled. "And you're coming with us."

Speckle's limbs unfroze.

"Let me go!" she pleaded, struggling to free herself. "I've done nothing to you!"

The pale gray she-cat standing nearby shook her head firmly. "We follow our own rules. You are on our territory; you do as we say."

"But that's not how I live!" Speckle mewled, writhing underneath Stoneclaw's weight.

Stoneclaw shrugged and stood up, not looking sorry at all. "Too bad for you." He grabbed her scruff and pulled her off the ground. "We're taking you to camp."

The five cats circled in around her, effectively trapping the loner. She looked around wildly, but she knew there was no escape. She had no option but to go with them.

The cats started to walk, heading deep into the heart of the forest, right back the way they had come. Speckle's tail dragged slightly in the dust, stirring scraps of leaves as they made their way through the trees. She had all but given up struggling, glumly trudging over the tree roots without thinking. There was no way to escape from these cats who had taken her prisoner. The only way now was forward, wherever they were taking her.

An apprehensive shudder rippled through her fur.

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Time blurred as the dejected loner absently followed the strange, hostile cats. Suddenly, the sun was low in the sky, and she found herself standing in front of a tall, thorny barrier, looming menacingly out of the growing shadows cast across the forest floor. Behind it, she could hear the constant, low drone of many cats talking. Fear roiled in her stomach, forming a hard, cold lump. She was used to being alone. What would happen when she was on the other side, in the midst of so many strange, undoubtedly hostile cats?

Speckle cast a questioning glance at her captors, trying to hide her fear.

Wordlessly, the gray tom, Stoneclaw, flicked his tail towards a small gap in the brambles. His meaning was clear. _Go through the barrier._

Speckle sighed in resignation. With a last, longing glance at the forest behind her, bathed in golden light, she took a deep breath and plunged in.

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**So there we have it, chapter 1 of the very first ImagineClan collaborative story. Hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more.**

**Please review, so we know how the story is.**

**-ImagineClan**


	2. Chapter 2

**We're back, with chapter two!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed or followed or favorited the story! Encouragement means a lot to us.**

**Also, expect irregular updates. Since we're taking turns writing these, the next member in line may not always be on. And then we revise and edit until we're sure that it's good enough to publish.**

**So, without further ado, let's get back to Speckle's world!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors, but we own our story, and all the characters, and the plot idea, and our own way of collaborative writing. We do not like it when people copy us.**

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_Chapter 2 written by RainFilly - JynxJania_

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Speckle dove through the thorn barrier, closing her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself in a large, open area; with lots and lots of cats swarming around. There were cats eating, talking, sleeping, grooming, kittens playing around in the dirt, cats adding a few dead mice to a pile of prey, elderly cats lying in the sun. Speckle just stared in amazement at all of this. _How do they stand living together? Don't they ever want some time on their own?_

"Come on! Don't just stand there all day!" growled Stoneclaw, jabbing her forward with an outstretched paw.

Speckle stumbled forward awkwardly and fell down. Just then, a magnificent gray tom stepped over to them, his blue eyes shining.

"Silverfur," murmured Stoneclaw, and for a moment Speckle was taken aback by strange submissiveness in Stoneclaw's voice, before realizing that the tom, Silverfur, must be pretty important and high-ranking.

"Stoneclaw..." the tom returned, before looking down at Speckle, "What do you have here?"

"We found..._it_ out on border patrol." Stoneclaw responded, nudging the loner lightly with his paw.

Speckle flinched back from the tom's heavy paws, and toppled into Silverfur's feet. She shrank down, embarrassed, wishing that she'd be able to fall down a hole somewhere and never have these cats see her again.

"Stoneclaw," Silverfur growled, warningly. "Leave her alone. Are you okay?"

It took Speckle a moment to realize the tom was talking to her, but gradually she nodded her head.

"Let's get you to Moonstar," he murmured softly, and helped Speckle to her paws.

Silverfur strode past the annoyed Stoneclaw, and Speckle followed him, dazed. _Who's Moonstar? Why are they talking to me like I'm an...it?_

Speckle kept walking, unaware of the many eyes on her. "She smells funny," squeaked a small voice.

"Shh!"

Speckle turned around to see a black and white she-cat scolding a small, spiky-furred white tom-kitten. Speckle flattened her ears, and hurried after Silverfur, trying to block out the stares and questioning mews she knew were spreading behind her back.

Soon, Silverfur led her to a small ledge. Leaping up onto it, he led her into a small den, where a comfortable-looking moss and feather nest was tucked against the wall. "Moonstar?" he called.

Speckle shifted her weight nervously as a beautiful silver-white she-cat padded out of darkness of the den. "Silverfur, and..." she purred, dipping her head to the tom, and cocking her head a little at Speckle.

"Sp-Speckle."

"Speckle." Moonstar dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Why don't we come in my den to speak?"

Speckle lowered her head to step in the den with Silverfur and Moonstar. The den was hollowed from stone with moss heaped on the ground. It looked cozy and comfortable_. Especially on a cold night,_ Speckle thought to herself.

"Now, why are you here?" Moonstar asked, curling her tail neatly around her small silvery paws.

"Stoneclaw found her on border patrol," Silverfur meowed.

Moonstar turned to look at Speckle. "Speckle, where did you come from?"

Speckle shifted uncomfortably, hoping she wouldn't have to give out too much information. "I wander round the place."

"Who are your parents?"

"Oh, just...just two other loners."

Moonstar nodded thoughtfully. Out of the corner of her eye, Speckle could see the handsome silver tom shifting his weight from his paws as he stood near the wall of the den.

"Have you always been alone?" Moonstar asked.

Speckle nodded, hoping once more that she wasn't letting this strange cat learn too much about her.

"Okay, Speckle, you're going to stay in the spare den until we decide what to do. Silverfur, it's your job to organize guards for it." Moonstar dipped her head to the them, dismissing them from her den.

Speckle padded out of the den wordlessly, shocked. _Stay in this place overnight? Until they decide what to do with me? They made it sound like I'm an extra piece of prey!_

Silverfur bounded down from the ledge, and Speckle followed him. "I'll need to set up a guard-"

The tom was cut off by a very excited brown ball tumbling up to him. "I want to!" the thing, which Speckle could now see to be a she-cat, cried, looking very, very excited.

"Calm down, Maplepaw!" Silverfur scolded.

"Sorry, Silverfur," The she-cat, Maplepaw, apologized, though she didn't look to be very sorry. "Can I guard it, Silverfur? Please?"

Speckle shifted her gaze from the she-cat to the tom.

"I'll check with your mentor," Silverfur sighed.

Maplepaw's eyes lit up with excitement as Silverfur scanned the cats in camp. "Bluestep!" he called, after a few moments of looking around. "Can Maplepaw guard the den?"

"Sure!" replied a gray and white tom, whom Speckle assumed was Bluestep.

"Okay," sighed Silverfur. "You can show Speckle to it as well."

Maplepaw bounded away happily, and Speckle hurried to catch up to her. Soon, Maplepaw showed her to a large pile of rocks, with a nest inside. "This is your nest," Maplepaw explained, "And I guard it, like this. See?" She sat down at the front of the den, and curled her tail around her paws, looking forward with a mock-serious face.

Speckle purred, and Maplepaw got up, coming back over to her. Now that Speckle could look at Maplepaw closely, she could say that Maplepaw was about the same age as her, 8 moons. She was a dark brown tabby she-cat, with a few patches of golden, light tabby brown. One of her eyes were green, and the other was blue.

"So..." Speckle looked up at Maplepaw's words, "Have you always lived on your own?"

"Yes, my parents were loners, and I was raised as one."

"Have you ever had any friends? I mean, if you live by your own..." Maplepaw's words trailed off.

Speckle thought for a moment about a certain handsome, kind ginger tom, and all the fun times she had with him, talking from the first light of dawn until the sun had well and truly set. "Yes," she replied, nodding her head, "I'm friends with a tom known as Flame."

Maplepaw gave her a cheeky grin, and Speckle felt her fur grow hot. "Not like that!" she protested. "We're just friends!"

"Sure, sure," Maplepaw giggled in a sing-song voice.

Speckle growled a little, and cuffed the she-cat lightly over the ear. "Anyway, you don't even know him."

"Yeah..." Maplepaw's voice trailed off, the momentary pause giving Speckle the time to look around the camp. A small black tom-kitten was dragging a shrew over to the white tom-kitten and black and white she-cat from before. Beside them was a silvery she-kitten, who seemed to know the cats well. A blue-gray tom, who looked just a little older then Flame, was sparring with a blue-gray and white she-cat. A spiky-furred brown and white she-cat came through the tunnel to the camp which Speckle had passed through before, leading a orange tom, a pale ginger she-cat and a golden brown tabby tom. All of them were holding prey, and Speckle watched as they deposited it on a growing pile of prey in the middle of camp.

"What's your favourite piece of prey?"

Speckle stared at the she-cat for a moment. _Well, that was random_. "Ahh..." She paused to think for a moment. "Shrew." Out of the corner of her eye, Speckle could see Silverfur talking to a muscular golden brown tabby tom.

"Okay. I like sparrows!" Maplepaw replied, very excited.

The golden brown tabby tom came over to them, holding a mouse in his jaws. "Maplepaw," he said in a deep and serious voice. "I'm here to release you from your guard duties."

Maplepaw's tail dropped, and she looked up at the tom. "But, Oakfrost," she complained, drawing out each word. "I was only just put here!"

"Yes, but your job was to guard the prisoner, not to chat with it."

Maplepaw flicked her tail, and turned to Speckle. "Sorry 'bout that," she meowed. "I'll see you later, I guess."

Speckle watched sadly as her newfound friend dragged herself over to the pile of prey, picking up a bird and carrying it over to a small group of other young cats. "Here, eat." Oakfrost's deep voice scared Speckle for a moment, but soon her fur was lying flat again. The tom pushed the mouse over towards her, and she obediently started eating the mouse.

Soon, the mouse was finished. Without anyone to talk to, Speckle soon got bored. Very bored. Lying down, she place her head on her paws and watched the Clan life.

One of the young cats from before, the blue-gray tom, was dragging moss in and out of one of the dens. Speckle caught a whiff of a warm, milky scent. _Must be the den for the queens and kittens, _she mused. The pale ginger she-cat from before was sharing a mouse with a pale brown tabby tom, and Speckle could see Maplepaw playing with a black she-kitten.

Speckle watched as the sun dipped in the sky. Soon, it was night-time. She padded back into the den, and curled up into her nest.

That night, Speckle dreamed. Her dreams were filled with the ginger tom, Flame, and the thought of what would happen if she stayed with the Clan.

Soon it was morning, and sunlight seeped through Speckle's closed eyes. Blinking them open, she looked around the camp. She could see Maplepaw following a group of older cats out the barrier, and a small black she-kitten was dragging two birds over to the nursery.

Looking around at the Clan, Speckle realized, for the first time, how organized and close it was. One of the warriors was helping up a kitten who had tripped over the tail of the squirrel it had been carrying, and she could see Moonstar grooming the spiky-furred she-cat from before.

Speckle thought for a moment, if they were this organized and close, then maybe becoming a part of the Clan wouldn't be so bad.

"Speckle, Moonstar would like to see you."

Silverfur's words jolted Speckle out of her thoughts. Nodding her head, the speckled she-cat got up and padded over to Moonstar's den. Moonstar bounded up onto the ledge. "We're going to have a Clan meeting, Speckle," the silver she-cat meowed, "And the Clan will decide what happens to you."

Speckle gulped, suddenly nervous. She still didn't know if wanted to stay or not!

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Speckle jumped back in fright as the silvery she-cat yowled out to the Clan. She could see Maplepaw's patrol returning, and the kittens tumbling out of the nursery.

Speckle leaped down, and sat at the base of the High Ledge, fear prickling through her pelt.

"Today we gather to decide the fate of Speckle, a loner whom we found yesterday..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello friends, readers, loyal Imaginites! Here is the third chapter of the exciting new story Scorching Lies. ENJOY OR ELSE.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors, but we are ImagineClan and lay full claim to the collaborative story.**

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_ Chapter 3 written by _

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"Today we gather to decide the fate of Speckle, a loner whom we found yesterday..."

Speckle trembled beneath her fur under the gaze of so many cats. She hated herself for her own weakness. If Flame were here next to her, she was sure she wouldn't have been half as frightened. But he was not. These were fierce wild cats with fierce blood running through their veins. If she could ever live up to them, perhaps they would leave her alone to live her normal life. Or...

She dropped her thoughts when the graceful silver she-cat, _Moonstar_, she remembered, spoke again.

"Cats of ImagineClan." Her clear voice rang throughout the camp. "The loner, Speckle, stayed with us overnight while I debated what to do with her with Silverfur and some of our senior warriors."

The apprentice Maplepaw could be heard shifting her weight, anticipating her new friend's fate. Some other cats exchanged hushed whispers and Speckle received many distrustful glares.

"We have concluded that we will release Speckle back to her loner life without trouble," the noble leader of the Clan continued. "A patrol containing Silverfur—"

Something stirred deep inside Speckle, a feeling that had never awakened within her before. _"Have you ever had any friends? I mean, if you live by your own..."_ She recalled Maplepaw's words. Suddenly, a loneliness sprang from somewhere Speckle hadn't known existed. Having never experienced company, the she-cat couldn't miss what wasn't there. All this flashed through her mind in heartbeats. Before she had time to put thought into what she was attempting, her jaw was open and her tongue busy.

"Excuse me?" she squeaked, flattening her ears at the embarrassing pitch.

Moonstar's jaws snapped shut. A hush settled over the Clan. If it hadn't been completely silent before, it was now. Speckle felt the tension and it greatly unsettled her.

"Yes, Speckle?" Moonstar meowed after what seemed like an eternity. "You may speak."

The she-cat swallowed her warring emotions. There was no backing out now. "Um, well... Actually, um... I kinda, well, was considering..."

"Well, go on!" The not-so-friendly call came from the mass of staring cats. Moonstar silenced the cat and prodded Speckle on in a single nod.

"I was thinking about joining the Clan," she bit out. Thoughts of rejection swirled in the wake of her request. "Of course, if you don't want me, that's fine. It's just that I, uh, was thinking about how I strangely enjoyed the company and, um, if I could try it out for a while, I might decide." She internally winced at how the hesitancy sounded in her quavering mew.

The cats of ImagineClan were bristling.

"She's a coward!" A cat protested. His pelt was black as a cold night, and he held her within a green-yellow gaze. "Listen to how her voice shakes. _'It's just that I, uh, was thinking about how I strangely enjoyed the company and, um, if I could try it out for a while, I might decide_,'" he mimicked.

Speckle cringed, wishing not for the first time that the ground would swallow her up.

"Leave her alone, Nightstep," Maplepaw protested strongly from the front of the crowd. "I say if she wants to stay, then let her!"

Nightstep bared his teeth at Maplepaw. "Mind your place, apprentice."

A loud argument ensued between the indignant apprentice and hostile warrior, exchanging strong words in loud caterwauls that nearly deafened the cats near them.

The leader was nodding thoughtfully, slitted eyes seeming to be elsewhere, oblivious to the others. "A bold act for such a young loner," she murmured to herself. She sat in silence for a while longer, weighing the possibilities. Speckle was still so young... "I suppose I can grant your wish," Moonstar went on.

The cat that had opposed Speckle's entry to the Clan abandoned his argument and hissed. "We are cats of pure blood."

"Oh, shut up, Nightstep," a dark ginger she-cat snapped. "Your loud whining is making my ears ache."

"Peace, Nightstep." Moonstar commanded smoothly. "How do you think she survived in the wild all alone? She must have hunted. She also defended herself, and made her way in solitude. Surely she can help the Clan." She glanced at a small gray tabby she cat with green eyes and white paws.

"I agree," mewed the glanced-upon cat. "May StarClan watch over her and guide her on her rightful path."

"Mouseleap has given her blessing," Moonstar announced. "Speckle will be accepted into the Clan and will decide whether she will continue as a Clan cat in her own time."

There was spitting in the watching crowd of cats. Moonstar ignored them all.

"Speckle has decided to take on the ways of a Clan cat," she yowled. "She will join us as an apprentice, for she needs the training and is of six moons of age. Speckle, from this moment on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Specklepaw." The leader let her gaze roll over the Clan loyal to her and one another, and for a moment doubt flashed in the depths of her wise eyes. "Nightstep, you will push Specklepaw to the extents of her abilities and turn her into the best warrior she can be. You will be the new mentor of Specklepaw."

Silence.

Then, a joyous cry could be heard ringing through the forest. Maplepaw's young voice led the chant as the cats of ImagineClan opened their Clan to the newest apprentice.

"Specklepaw! Specklepaw!"

Specklepaw was bursting inside. Moonstar would be a fair judge; she could've guessed that. But a now she had a new emptiness in her heart, or maybe it was doubt. Would she ever see Flame again? Furthermore, her mentor was Nightstep, the sole cat she guessed was against having her in the Clan.

A nose brushed her ear, causing Specklepaw to start. Her muscles relaxed when she saw it was only Maplepaw.

"Go touch noses," she instructed quietly.

Specklepaw glanced into her mentor's gaze, then quickly dropped her eyes. She knew enough about Clans so that she understood mentors trained young cats to be warriors, but exactly how... That was one big blank.

She stepped forward a few paces and gingerly thrust her head forward to touch Nightstep's nose. She could feel hot breath on her face and scrutinizing eyes on her. She shook despite her soul's wishes, and apparently Nightstep's as well.

"Right," he muttered crossly. "I suppose you'll want to go running around the territory and hunt, am I correct?" Blazing, slitted eyes seemed to singe Specklepaw's fur.

"I-I guess—"

"Wrong! Loners don't get to go out on their first day. They get to do something very fun inside camp instead." Nightstep flicked his tail, motioning for her to follow. "We'll begin with collecting moss."

As the assembled cats began to break up, Specklepaw brightened. "I can collect moss," she told him. "Every night I'd add a little more to my nest."

Nightstep rolled his eyes and snorted. "Then let's see what you can do." He pointed to a mossy tree trunk just inside the camp wall. "Begin."

Specklepaw crept forward, shooting looks over her shoulder. Her guard was up. Something felt wrong. When she could see Nightstep was doing nothing but trailing her, she relaxed a little, if not completely. She strolled forward and balanced herself on three paws. Then she swung her paw out in a single motion, tearing the moss from its host. The new apprentice showed the moss to her mentor.

"I guess I'd better do something with it now...?" she murmured.

"Let me inspect it," he growled, green-yellow eyes like flints. They scrutinized the ball of moss lying at the former loner's paws. "There's dirt there, and roots still clinging on that part. Fish out the twigs, too."

Specklepaw nodded. "Okay!" she complied, good-naturedly. She didn't seem to notice how much her high spirits irritated her mentor. Dropping into a crouch so she was eye-level with her charge, she let her own gaze pierce the moss.

After a few minutes of carefully removing tiny splinters and roots and specks of soil, Specklepaw presented her bundle to Nightstep again.

"Still some dirt," he grunted.

"But it's so clean I could eat off of it!" Specklepaw protested.

Nightstep scowled. "Then maybe you should do just that. Go get a morsel and bring it back here. A morsel, mind! We don't need any prey wasted on useless loners."

Specklepaw agreed with a flick of the tail. She _was_ hungry. Quickly, she ran over to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a scrawny vole. She hoped it was small enough so that Nightstep didn't complain. It had to be the skinniest thing on the heap!

Running lightly back to where the black tom waited, she set the vole down on her collected moss. "Do all Clan cats eat off moss piles?" she asked.

"No," Nightstep snorted. "Now hurry up and eat. I shall show you another task you will be expected to carry out."

* * *

"This is the nursery."

Specklepaw eyed the many tumbling fur balls with silent laughter. She'd love to play with them sometime!

One tiny kit rolled up to her. Her pelt was of white and pale-grey, and her eyes like jade. "Hello!" she squeaked. "Are you the loner?"

Specklepaw shifted her paws.

"None of that, Lilykit," Nightstep murmured gently. "I'm teaching Specklepaw how to clean out the nursery!"

The kit, Lilykit, smirked. "Be sure to show her Yarrowkit's nest, then. I think his is the smelliest."

The tom purred. "Of course I will. Now you be off so we can do our job."

Once Lilykit had scrambled away, announcing very loudly her attack on Nettlekit, Nightstep led Specklepaw over to a torn patch of moss. On it lay a broad-shouldered white she-cat with blue eyes.

"Hello, Snowbear," Nightstep meowed. "I'm teaching Specklepaw how to clean out nests."

"Good," the she-cat said. "The other apprentices do a fine job, but I wouldn't mind a new helper."

"What do I do?" she asked.

Nightstep explained how to removed the moss and bring it to the dirtplace tunnel. Then he told her to bring new moss in that was completely spotless and sent her on her way.

Specklepaw was bringing in new moss and setting it down when Nightstep shook his head. "That's not spotless at all. There's those roots right there, some dust there, and it's completely torn up!"

Snowbear sniffed. "I think it's fine," she remarked. "Bring it here and roll it out."

The warrior frowned as his apprentice happily obeyed the queen. "Whatever."

"Go visit Mouseleap and get instructions for removings the elders' ticks," Nightstep told her. "Then retire to your nest."

Specklepaw nodded and padded into what her mentor had told her was the medicine-cat den. She found the cat that had given her her blessing in front of the Clan.

"Hello?" she asked. "Are you Mouseleap?"

The she-cat nodded. "I am. Did Nightstep send you for the mouse bile to remove the elders' ticks?"

Specklepaw frowned. "He did."

Mouseleap got a disdainful look on her face. "I thought as much. Okay, I'm going to put the mouse-bile on a ball of moss and put it on a stick. Don't touch the moss, or else you'll be smelling like mouse-bile for a moon."

Specklepaw flicked her tail. "Okay. Then what?"

"Apply the mouse-bile to the tick and it will drop off. They hate the scent as much as we do." She gave the new apprentice the stick and wished her good luck.

Nightstep guided her to the elders' den. Inside was a dark gray tabby tom with green eyes. He had several scars, a torn ear and a ragged pelt. A she-cat slept next to him.

"Raggedfur, this is Specklepaw. She's going to get the ticks off you." The black tom nodded once before exiting the den.

"Hello," Specklepaw greeted around the stick. "Where are yo-"

"I have one on my belly right here." The tom rolled over and pointed with his eyes.

Specklepaw searched his pelt for the tick. When she found it, she dabbed the mouse-bile on the annoyance.

"Ouch! Not that hard," Raggedfur complained. He jerked, causing the young she-cat to pull back.

"Sorry," she muttered. She briefly wondered what Maplepaw was doing. Probably hunting or battle training like she wished she herself were doing, not removing ticks from persnickety elders. She unconsciously sighed and let the moss fall onto her paws.

"Oops!" she squeaked.

"Thanks for the help," Raggedfur murmured as he fell to sleep.

Specklepaw rolled her eyes. "You are so very, very welcome."

* * *

Specklepaw flopped into the nest Maplepaw had helped her build. She rested her chin on her paws and breathed deeply, relishing the darkness when she closed her eyes.

The young apprentice lazily slitted her eyes when she sensed someone next to her. "Maplepaw," she acknowledged.

"Yuck," the other she-cat hissed, as if attempting not to breathe. "What in StarClan's name...?"

"Please, don't ask," Specklepaw begged quietly.

Maplepaw nodded, curled up on herself and sighed softly and wearily. Specklepaw could only dream of what fun had worn her friend out. "Good night, Specklepaw," she murmured.

"Good night." It didn't feel right to be here. She remembered the day Flame had told her about how wonderful the Clans were. Had he been wrong? Had she been wrong to believe him? This wasn't even remotely pleasant at all. All she had done that day included boring tasks. "Help me make the right decision," she whispered to no one in particular. Perhaps Maplepaw's StarClan would watch over her. Perhaps.

She drifted off, her dreams ever in undecided turmoil.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review.**

**-ImagineClan**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here comes the next installment in the collaborative story Scorching Lies, written by the forum ImagineClan!**

**So, let's delve back into the world of Specklepaw.**

**Also, please review the story! We adore reviews. You have no idea how much.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors, but we own our story, the idea for this method of doing a collaborative story, etc, etc.**

* * *

_Chapter 4 written by ExplosionsAreFun_

* * *

Specklepaw looked around at the green scenery. She heard a noise in the forest and spun around. She saw a ginger pelt moving towards her. "Flame?" she called out, then instantly regretted it, in case it wasn't him. The cat pricked up its ears and looked around. She saw now that it was Flame. She ran over. "Flame!"

The tom turned to look at her. "Oh. Hey, Speckle."

"Speckle_paw_ now," she said smugly. "I joined the Clan."

Flame suddenly looked interested. "You did? Wonderful. I need to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Specklepaw said.

Flame opened his mouth to talk, but suddenly disappeared.

"Huh? Flame!" Specklepaw said, looking around. Everything was disappearing. "Flame?!"

Specklepaw blinked awake and saw Nightstep shaking her. "It's time to train, you lazy apprentice!" he growled.

Specklepaw blinked her eyes open and saw that most of the apprentices were still asleep, except for Featherpaw, who wasn't there. "But everyone else is still asleep," she said, still groggy.

"You aren't most apprentices! You're a lazy good-for-nothing outsider! We're going hunting. Come, or you'll have to clean the nursery!" he hissed, and walked out of the den. Specklepaw ran out after him, terrified, but hungry.

"Can I have some food?" she asked, hoping he would let her eat a mouse.

"NO!" he growled so loudly that Briarpaw stuck her head out of the apprentices' den.

"Huh?" she said.

"Okay, fine," Specklepaw sighed, following Nightstep into the forest.

She looked around the clearing she was lead to. The morning sunlight flitted through the leaves. A butterfly flew around the clearing. Specklepaw took a deep breath. Maybe if she did well enough, he wouldn't be rude to her.

Specklepaw sniffed around, closing her eyes and pricking her ears. She heard a small noise. She quickly opened her eyes and looked around. A thrush was picking at the ground nearby. Specklepaw fell into a hunting crouch and moved towards it. She leapt forward with outstretched claws. The bird let out a loud shriek as it died.

_Mouse dung_, she thought, picking up the animal and burying it, hoping fervently that some prey was still there near her. She glanced around the clearing and heard a small scuffle._ I can catch that mouse!_ she thought, walking slowly over to the bush she heard it in and pouncing on the creature. She killed it with a swift bite.

She dug up the bird and brought the freshkill over to Nightstep. "I'm done; I caught some prey," she said, looking proudly at her rather large thrush and average size mouse.

Nightstep took one look at the freshkill and grew angry.

"What is this?" he hissed. "Take it back to camp, and then clean the elder's den," he growled. Specklepaw felt a surge of anger and stomped out of the clearing, muttering. She padded into camp, dumped her fresh-kill onto the pile, and sullenly slid into the elder's den.

She looked at the two cats, a light brown she-cat and a ragged gray tom. "I'm here to clean the elder's den," she announced.

The she-cat got up. Specklepaw took out the moss and dragged it out of camp. She then got more fresh moss. She brought it into the elder's den and set it down where the other was. She repeated this with the other nest. Then she walked into the medicine cat's den.

"I need some mouse bile." She got some from Mouseleap and went back into the elder's den. She got the ticks off and went out of camp, needing some fresh air. She took a deep breath and arrived at a small stream. She swallowed. Water was her worst fear, but she really needed to clean her paws. She splashed them in, forcing herself not to scream, and shook them until they were dry once the bile was gone. She looked at the water and shuddered, walking back to camp.

* * *

Maplepaw ran up to her as she arrived. "Hey! Want to come hunting with me, Featherpaw, and Skypaw?" she asked, bursting with excitement.

Specklepaw blinked. "Sure," she said.

"Awesome!" Maplepaw said and went over to the fresh-kill pile. "She'll come! Let's go!"

The other apprentices got up, and Specklepaw walked over.

"Where are we hunting?" Skypaw asked.

"How about near the stream?" Featherpaw suggested, casting a cold look at Specklepaw.

Maplepaw looked from Featherpaw to Specklepaw.

Skypaw blinked. "How about a clearing? I know one," she said.

Maplepaw nodded in agreement, and Specklepaw felt a wave of relief.

"Let's go!" Skypaw said, dashing out of camp. The others followed.

* * *

When the apprentices arrived, Specklepaw realized that this was the same clearing she had hunted at in the morning.

Featherpaw went to hunting immediately.

Skypaw walked over to Specklepaw. "Hi!"

"Hi," Specklepaw responded.

"Ah! You scared the prey away!" Featherpaw sighed.

"Well, let's just talk then," Maplepaw suggested.

"Okay," Featherpaw agreed.

"Let's talk about mentors!" Maplepaw said.

"Okay!" Skypaw said. "My mentor took me battle training today; it was so fun!"

"Fun?! You should've been with me and Bluestep on border patrol! A baby fox was in the territory!" Maplepaw exclaimed. "I had to go back to camp and get Honeyshine, Briarpaw, Sandfire, and Silverfur! Sandfire whipped that fox's tail!" she said excitedly.

Specklepaw watched as Featherpaw told of how she learned to climb. She felt a surge of jealousy. Why didn't Nightstep treat her nicely? Her emotions were a mix of sadness and anger as Featherpaw finished her story.

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**So, what do you think of that chapter?**

**Stay tuned for the next one!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! Welcome back to Speckle's world!**

**We hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter. :D**

**Special thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: If we owned Warriors, we wouldn't even be on FFN. No, we don't own Warriors, but we own our story, and the idea for this method of doing a collaborative story, etc.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 5 written by Mayhem'sQueen_

* * *

Nightstep soon called loudly for his apprentice. Relieved, Specklepaw meowed a goodbye to the other apprentices. _I never thought I would be relieved that Nightstep had more work for me._ The young she-cat ran back to camp and stood before her mentor. "Yes, Nightstep?"

"We are going hunting. It's only a little past sunhigh and you need to make up for the small catch you had earlier." Nightstep snarled, turning and walking off. Specklepaw followed and wondered where she would be hunting now. As soon as they got out of camp Nightstep broke into a run. "Hurry up!"

Specklepaw followed as quickly as she could, trying to keep the tom in her line of vision. Nightstep's black pelt often disappeared in the midday shadows.

Specklepaw continued running as speedily as she could. Eventually Nightstep came to a stop and Specklepaw was able to catch up with him.

"Is that as fast as your lazy loner legs can carry you!? You're going to have to become faster if you ever want to be any more useful than a mousebrained kit!" Nightstep snarled at the apprentice, glaring down at her. "Hunt here." Nightstep gestured towards an area called the Sand Plot with his tail. "Don't get bitten by a snake," the black tom hissed as Specklepaw jumped down to the sandy clearing. She whipped around, looking to see whether Nightstep was joking or not, but her mentor had disappeared into the shadows of the canopy.

"Okay," Specklepaw mewed to herself. The apprentice gazed around the sandy dip in the earth. It was sunny and it certainly seemed like somewhere that snakes would go to lie on the warm sand. Not seeing any of the slithering beasts, Specklepaw set to work sniffing around for prey; she was able to scent a rabbit but it wasn't nearby. Wandering out of this place would probably be a bad idea, especially with Nightstep watching. Specklepaw scented a mouse and saw it scampering around the edges of the sandy patch. Dropping into a hunting crouch, Specklepaw began to stalk forward. Suddenly a light wind blew. Specklepaw was downwind of the mouse, so luckily it didn't smell her. She was not so lucky avoiding the sand.

The wind blew, and though it was only a light breeze, the sand stirred. The lightly colored earth blew up into the apprentice's eyes, and her vision blurred as her eyes watered. While she was busy pawing at her eyes, the mouse scampered down a hole to safety. Specklepaw lashed her tail in frustration, sending more sand flying. She opened her mouth and inhaled, hoping to find the scent of another small creature. Her disappointment grew. Now Specklepaw couldn't even smell the rabbit that had been somewhere in the nearby forest. The cream she-cat shook her fur out. The sun was hot on her back and the sand burned her paws; on top of the discomfort, there was no prey. Why would any cat hunt here? After a while more of sniffing around for prey, Specklepaw heard Nightstep descend from the tree where he had been watching.

"Let's go back to camp. You've _hunted_ long enough." Nightstep put emphasis on 'hunted' and was obviously displeased.

Specklepaw looked up at Nightstep. "Can I try hunting somewhere else?"

"No! How dare you ask to hunt somewhere where it is 'easier'?! You are never going to feed the Clan if you can't even hunt here at sunhigh, when there is much prey to be found!" Nightstep snarled.

Specklepaw hung her head in disappointment and followed Nightstep back to camp at a snail's pace. As Specklepaw got back to camp she put her head on her paws and lay down near the barrier. The apprentice's stomach rumbled, she really didn't want to speak to Nightstep but knew she'd better ask him to eat. Standing, Specklepaw padded over to Nightstep, who paid her no mind.

"Nightstep? May I take a piece of freshkill?" The young apprentice mewed.

"You may eat." Nightstep meowed, irritation filling his voice.

"Thank you," Specklepaw bounded off to the freshkill pile. The apprentice picked up a small sparrow.

"What do you think you are doing? I said you could eat, not feast. Take that to the nursery and then you can eat this." Nightstep meowed loudly and angrily at the apprentice and flung a scrawny mouse at her.

"Okay, Nightstep..." Specklepaw carried her sparrow to the nursery, leaving the mouse so she could return for it in a moment. As the apprentice entered the nursery she was stopped by a she-kit.

"Who are you?" The brown and white kit demanded.

"Specklepaw," The apprentice meowed, the kit reminded her of Nightstep. The young cat looked poised to attack and then, she did.

"Intruder!" Fawnkit threw herself on Specklepaw, claws sheathed. Specklepaw went limp and let the kit steal the prey from her, realizing it was a game. Suddenly another kit was wrestling the prey from the one that had attacked her. Three more stared up at her from a nest, where their mother quickly covered them with her tail. A white queen took the prey from the two wrestling she-kits.

"Prey is not a plaything, Fawnkit and Ravenkit. You know better," the blue-eyed queen meowed. "Hello, I'm Snowbear. These are Fawnkit and Ravenkit," Snowbear introduced herself to Specklepaw.

Ravenkit prodded her mother with a paw. "Can I take some of the sparrow to Yarrowkit?"

"Of course, Ravenkit; why don't you see if Streamkit can go too?" Snowbear meowed; the queen seemed to know all of the kits well. As soon as Yarrowkit was mentioned, a blue-gray kit in the third nest lifted her head.

"May I go to the medicine den, Silversky?" Streamkit mewed; the kit seemed very excited.

"As long as you stay with Ravenkit and come right back." Silversky meowed, yawning. The queen's second kit was busy meowing a story about a dream she had and was being rather loud. No doubt she was exhausted.

"Thank you!" Streamkit and Ravenkit mewed at the same time. Ravenkit began pulling the sparrow along with her out of the nursery, having a bit of trouble. Streamkit tried to help but was even weaker than Ravenkit.

"Could you keep an eye on them in case they get any ideas of hunting for themselves?" Silversky meowed to Specklepaw.

"Of course." Specklepaw followed the two kits out of the den, her stomach rumbled again. Right now, even the small mouse she was allowed to have looked good. Specklepaw grabbed her mouse, hoping she could eat it quickly. Fawnkit sprinted past her towards Ravenkit and Streamkit. With all three kits working together they managed to awkwardly carry the sparrow to the medicine den. The medicine cat was pulling a thorn from Oakfrost's foot as Specklepaw entered. A thin black kit walked slowly up to greet his sisters.

"Hello Ravenkit, Fawnkit and Streamkit." The young tom mewed weakly. The three she kits meowed hello and delivered the sparrow to him.

"Get back to your nest!" The medicine cat rushed over and nudged Yarrowkit back to his nest. The tabby's green eyes were wide, and she moved quickly about her tasks; it was as if she couldn't sit still for a moment.

"Yes, Mouseleap." Yarrowkit mewed dully.

The three she-kits brought the sparrow over to the nest and the three eldest kits began eating. Streamkit tried a bite but decided she didn't really like sparrow and instead began talking to Mouseleap. While all the kits were busy, Specklepaw managed to gulp down her mouse. Oakfrost smiled at her, as he left the medicine den. Mouseleap ushered Specklepaw out, telling her the kits would be fine and to go get some rest. Specklepaw fell into her nest and immediately sank into the depths of sleep.

* * *

It had been half a moon since Specklepaw joined the Clan. Each day of training was as grueling and disheartening as the first, and Specklepaw was beginning to dread the training sessions in which she was yelled at no matter how well she did.

Specklepaw poked her head out of the apprentices den and waited by the camp entrance. Nightstep had begun leaving her behind if she wasn't awake by the time he left camp.

Maplepaw followed her friend to the camp entrance. "Why are you awake this early? The sun hasn't even risen yet." Maplepaw meowed worriedly.

"I like to get up early, that's it," Specklepaw meowed tiredly.

Skypaw padded over; she had been guarding the camp entrance all night, but she would stop and say hello at least.

"I can tell that's not what it is." Maplepaw shook her fur out.

"That is the reason I get up early, though," Specklepaw pleaded.

"That's not what I meant," Maplepaw meowed, obviously frustrated with Specklepaw's short answers.

"What is the problem?" Skypaw meowed; she was good at problem-solving.

"Specklepaw is up before sunrise every morning, she never wants to talk anymore, she always wants to be alone, and she spends every second of the day practicing something," Maplepaw meowed. "Obviously something has upset her."

"Specklepaw, is this true?" Skypaw mewed patiently.

"No, I get up early because I like to. I don't have time to talk, and I concentrate better when I'm alone. That's all," Specklepaw lied.

During their chat the sun had risen along the horizon, Nightstep exited the warriors den.

"It's time to go." The black-furred tom padded out of camp and into the shadowy forest, barely lit by the sun's early rays.

"Okay, Nightstep." Specklepaw padded forward.

"We will talk about this, Specklepaw," Maplepaw hissed as the cream colored cat passed her.

Specklepaw could hear Maplepaw and Skypaw talking as she left, but didn't hear their exact conversation, instead plunging through the barrier and out of the camp.

"I know she is keeping something secret from us. I'm worried for her," Maplepaw meowed, concern shining in her mismatched eyes.

"Specklepaw is probably just stressed out due to her training. Nightstep can't be the easiest of mentors," Skypaw said gently, trying to reassure her friend.

Specklepaw shook her pelt once she was out in the forest. _Why is Maplepaw fussing over me? I need to get better at hunting and being a Clan cat. Nightstep would punish me if he ever heard me complaining about him and I'll surely be exiled if I don't get better._ The thought of exile made Specklepaw tremble with fear. _ I don't want to be alone again; Clan life is much better than being a loner_. Specklepaw continued to think of exile and what Nightstep would do if he ever heard her complain about him. Suddenly Nightstep stopped her.

"Hold on." The black tom stepped forward and sniffed a piece of orange fur that had been stuck on a bramble. Barely out of her thoughts, and still half asleep Specklepaw welcomed a chance to stop and rest her paws. "There's another cat on the territory, possibly a rogue. I'll have to inform Moonstar of this," Nightstep meowed. "We will check the rest of this border, and then return to camp."

Specklepaw nodded drowsily and followed Nightstep as he began walking again. The she-cat sniffed the fur. She knew that scent, somewhere... The apprentice blinked sleepily and tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts. Whose fur was this? Not a Clan cat...it was...Specklepaw's eyes widened as she realized to whom the fur belonged.

Flame.

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**Yes, it's a cliffie. *evil laugh***

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